NH Rep. Guinta wants non-union shops bidding on Job Corps project

MANCHESTER, N.H. — New Hampshire Rep. Frank Guinta is asking that non-union as well as union construction companies be considered for bids on a new Job Corps center in Manchester.

The federal government is planning to reopen its bidding for construction of the $35 million project after a 2009 dispute over using union labor delayed it.

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis told Guinta on Thursday the department is starting to survey small businesses in the area to determine which ones are interested in working on the center.

Solis said the department is planning a Project Labor Agreement for the center, which traditionally have called for a collective bargaining agreement with workers. Guinta says he would like to see what the PLA requirements are as the project develops.